Friendship Distilled
by Devon Shea
Summary: A series of stories about the friendships of our beloved characters, both canon and AU.
1. Vodka

"You know, I've been checking you out for the last week and I have to ask," the clerk leaned over the counter and grinned lasciviously, "You realize there are better brands of vodka, right? I would be quite happy to introduce you to them tonight with some body shots. I'll bring the vodka if you bring the lemon and sugar."

Gwen blushed and stuttered a bit as she replied with some sort of negative answer, gathered her purchases and ran out of the liquor store as quickly as she could. The minute she got back to the flat she shared with Merlin, she smacked him upside the head hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed his head as he reached for one of the bags with the vodka they needed to make the various fruit and herbal extracts the two of them had decided to make for Christmas presents this year.

Gwen glared at him while opening one bottle and topping up the peppermint extract Merlin had been checking on before she got home. "That idiot clerk hit on me. It's your fault."

"How is it my fault?"

"I told you he was creepy."

"No. You said he was weird. There's a difference."

Gwen actually growled a bit. "Merlin, you're going there if we need anymore." She looked at the bottles arrayed on the counter. "And this is the last time we do this. I don't care how skint we are or how great your mother's recipe is for this shit, from now on we're buying everyone ridiculously expensive, non-alcoholic presents."

* * *

 **This is my submission for the LiveJournal group, Camelot Drabble, Prompt 326.**


	2. Rum

Merlin tucked the phone between his shoulder and his chin as he reached for the rum on the shelf. He already had a full grocery bag hanging from his other hand and was missing the third arm he'd need to carry both the phone and the bottle to the register. "Yes, Gwen, I have the cherries and the chocolate. I'm grabbing the rum now." He paused as he listened to his best friend. "Yes, I followed the list you wrote down exactly. If there's something I didn't get it's because you forgot to tell me." Merlin smiled vaguely at the clerk as he placed the bottle on the counter and dug in his pocket for his wallet. "I love you, too, Gwen. See you soon."

He looked up at the clerk after he put the phone to sleep and slipped it in his pocket. "What's the damage, mate?"

The clerk grinned slyly at him, "Couldn't help but overhear. You're the roommate of that really fit girl who was getting the vodka a few months ago, right? Haven't seen her in a while."

"Um, yeah." Merlin realized this must be the clerk Gwen had smacked him over. "She's been busy. The total?" Merlin wanted to get out of there as quickly as he could and counted the bills he needed to hand over.

The clerk took his time counting out Merlin's change. Before he closed the till his smile widened a bit and his eyes traveled down what was visible of Merlin's body over the counter. The smile became a leer as he handed the bills and coins to Merlin. "Tell your friend my offer still stands, especially if you want to join in the fun."

* * *

Merlin slammed the door to the flat and threw his keys in the dish next to the coat rack. "Gwen!"

"Bit busy right now." Her voice drifted from the closed door to the loo.

"Whatever. We're never buying at that liquor store again!" Merlin dropped the bags on the countertop.

When she joined Merlin in the kitchen she watched for a moment as he banged the refrigerator door closed. She smirked as she took in his angry movements. "Did something happen to you at the liquor store, Merlin?"

Her friend glared at her as he put away the last of the ingredients for the rum-soaked chocolate cherries Gwen wanted to make for Morgana's hen night. "He hit on me, too. Not just that, he suggested a three-way between you, me, and him. Ugh!"

"It's a good thing I know you love me or that last bit would have me very upset." Gwen rounded the counter and gave Merlin a hug.

Merlin hugged her back. Gwen gave the best hugs. "You know I'd shag you in a minute if you were a bloke, love." He smiled sheepishly at her. "You were right. He is creepy."

"Yep. Now we just have to convince someone else to buy all of our liquor for us from now on."

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 **Camelot Drabble Prompt #330, Chocolate**

Merlin belongs to the Beebs.


	3. Gluhwein

Gwen knew living with Merlin would be interesting, to say the least. Becoming friends with him the first day of class had been one of the best things that ever happened to her, but the most accurate description of Merlin could be boiled down to one word: chaos. He was the sweetest thing in the world. He would give the shirt off his back to help someone. He just managed to find the craziest way possible to help every time. When he finally told Gwen about his magic about a year after they met, everything became perfectly clear.

The second year of uni, they both needed new flatmates and figured it would be the best thing in the world to move in to a tiny flat off campus together. It was still close enough that they could walk to the school, but far enough away that they both felt like actual adults doing adult things. They both had jobs to pay rent and other bills while they attended school.

Gwen knew she should have said no when Merlin said he wanted to throw a Christmas party. They had exams to study for and party planning would cut into that time, but Merlin turned his secret weapon on her and pleaded. No one was immune to those eyes of his, certainly not Gwen. She did put her foot down and refused to let it become too much of a Bacchanalia. If they were going to be adults, then they were going to be adults and have alcohol such as mulled wine and cider, not vodka and tequila shots for Christmas. It was probably the Glühwein that Gwaine brought that did the party in, though.

Knowing Gwaine, Gwen and most of the others refused to touch the stuff, but Gwaine had egged Merlin and Arthur on until the three of them managed to polish off nearly the whole thing between them. "It's like watching a car crash in slow motion. Are they actually doing shots of Glühwein? Why would anyone even do that?"

Gwen looked at Perce standing next to her and shook her head, "Because it's Gwaine. And Arthur is a competitive idiot. And Merlin is just insane enough to forget he can't drink worth a damn because he wants to impress Gwaine."

Perce snickered as he watched Merlin slide down the couch until his head was resting on Gwaine's lap. Gwaine just set his hand on Merlin's hair and stroked it gently as he lifted the next shot of Glühwein to his lips, his eyes never leaving Arthur's as he downed it.

Arthur shook his head slightly as he lifted his own glass. He swallowed it down and grinned, the grin remaining in place as he slumped to the side and rested his head on the back of the couch, sound asleep.

Gwaine chuckled and put his glass down. He smirked up at Perce and Gwen. "I won." He looked down at Merlin in his lap and his smirk turned into a gentle smile. "Yeah, I won." he said to himself quietly. Gwaine leaned back into the couch cushions and closed his own eyes.

Gwen and Perce just looked at each other and shook their heads. "Idiots. All three of them. I'll be right back. I'm going to get some afghans for them."

Gwen raided the linen closet she and Merlin had stocked for when their friends ended up staying over. She had three afghans in her arms when she stepped back into the living room and stopped dead. "Oh, well, I guess Merlin woke up, then."

Morgana stood next to her by the doorway, staring at the man in the middle of the couch. Merlin was laying with one arm outstretched while the other wrapped itself around his boyfriend, his eyes closed and the cherubic smile playing across his lips. Morgana turned to Gwen, who simply shrugged when she asked, "Sorry, but can I just address the fact that there is literally a dragon in the room right now?"

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 **Camelot Drabble #345, First Christmas**


End file.
